Manassas City County

Key demographics: Manassas city (independent city), Virginia

Population

• Total population: 42,772 (2020 Census)
• 2023 estimate: ~42.7k (Census Population Estimates Program)

Age

• Median age: ~33.8 years
• Under 18: ~26–27%
• 65 and over: ~9%

Sex

• Male: ~52%
• Female: ~48%

Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive where noted; Hispanic is any race)

• Hispanic or Latino: ~44%
• White alone, non-Hispanic: ~31%
• Black or African American alone, non-Hispanic: ~12%
• Asian alone, non-Hispanic: ~6%
• Two or more races, non-Hispanic: ~5%
• Other non-Hispanic groups (AIAN, NHPI, etc.): ~2%

Households and housing

• Households: ~13.7k
• Persons per household: ~3.3
• Family households: ~74% of households
• Homeownership rate: ~59% owner-occupied; ~41% renter-occupied
• Median household income: ~$109,000
• Poverty rate: ~9%

Insights

• Young, family-oriented, and majority-minority community with a large Hispanic population
• Larger household size and higher renter share than Virginia overall

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates Program).

• Population and density: Manassas City, VA has ~42.7k residents in ~10 sq mi (≈4,300 people/sq mi), supporting dense fixed-line and mobile coverage.
• Estimated email users: ≈29,500 adult users. Basis: ~32,000 adults and ~92% email adoption among U.S. adults.
• Age distribution of email users (approximate share → users):
  • 18–29: 24% → ~7,100
  • 30–49: 41% → ~12,100
  • 50–64: 23% → ~6,800
  • 65+: 12% → ~3,500
• Gender split: Near parity; ≈50–51% male and 49–50% female among email users, reflecting minimal gender gap in email adoption.
• Digital access and trends:
  • Broadband at home: ~93% of households subscribe to fixed broadband, consistent with Northern Virginia’s high adoption.
  • Device access: ~95%+ of households have a computer and/or smartphone; multi-device households dominate.
  • Mobile reliance: ~11% of households are smartphone-only internet users.
  • Network infrastructure: City served by Verizon Fios (fiber) and Comcast Xfinity (cable); robust 5G from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile increases on-the-go email use.
• Insight: High density, widespread fiber/cable availability, and strong 5G coverage drive near-universal adult email usage, with the heaviest use among working-age adults (30–49) and only a modest drop among seniors.

Summary: Mobile phone usage in Manassas (independent city), Virginia

Context and baseline

• Population: 42,772 (2020 Decennial Census). Manassas is an independent city in Northern Virginia (inside the DC metro), not a county.

User estimates (mobile adoption and reliance)

• Estimated adult smartphone users: approximately 29,000–31,000. This estimate applies contemporary U.S. adult smartphone adoption (~9 in 10 adults) to Manassas’s adult population scale. Urban, younger, and immigrant-heavy communities such as Manassas tend to sit at or slightly above national smartphone adoption averages, so the central tendency is near 30,000 users.
• Mobile-only (smartphone-dependent) internet households: materially above the Virginia average. In urban/immigrant communities in NoVA, smartphone-only reliance is commonly several percentage points higher than statewide. That translates to several thousand Manassas households relying primarily on cellular data (rather than fixed broadband) for home internet access.
• Prepaid penetration: higher than the Virginia average, driven by a larger share of younger adults, renters, and immigrant households who favor prepaid or budget MVNO plans.

Demographic shape of mobile usage

• Younger and family-heavy: Manassas skews younger than Virginia overall, with larger average household sizes. Younger age profiles correlate with near-universal smartphone adoption, higher mobile video/social use, and faster upgrade cycles.
• Diverse and multilingual: Manassas has a significantly higher Hispanic/Latino and foreign-born share than Virginia overall. This correlates with:
  • Higher WhatsApp/Signal usage for cross-border communication.
  • Greater dual-SIM and international calling plan uptake.
  • Above-average Android share (price sensitivity and broader OEM variety).
• Income spread: While Northern Virginia includes high-income pockets, Manassas has a wider income distribution than the state average. This produces a barbell effect: strong premium device uptake coexisting with heavy use of value devices and MVNOs.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• 5G coverage: All three national carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) operate dense LTE and 5G networks across Manassas due to its DC-metro location. Mid-band 5G coverage is extensive, with localized small-cell densification in commercial corridors and near transit.
• Backhaul and fiber: Multiple regional fiber backbones traverse/edge Manassas (I‑66 corridor, VRE/rail right‑of‑way), enabling robust 5G backhaul. Proximity to major data-center clusters in Prince William and Loudoun counties supports strong upstream interconnection and low latency.
• Redundancy: Overlapping carrier footprints and multiple fiber routes yield better-than-state-average resilience and capacity, reflected in higher median mobile speeds compared with many non-metro Virginia localities.

How Manassas differs from Virginia overall

• Higher smartphone reliance: Greater share of smartphone-only households than the statewide rate, driven by younger and immigrant demographics and higher rental rates.
• Denser 5G and small-cell deployment: Network Densification is stronger than the Virginia average thanks to metro adjacency, resulting in better mid-band 5G performance and capacity.
• Plan mix: More prepaid/MVNO adoption than the statewide average alongside healthy premium plan uptake, reflecting a wider income distribution.
• App/usage mix: Above-average use of OTT messaging (e.g., WhatsApp) and international calling features; strong mobile video streaming and social media engagement among younger cohorts.
• Device mix: More Android share relative to statewide averages, but with substantial iOS penetration in higher-income segments.

Key takeaways for planning and strategy

• Expect near-saturation smartphone ownership and heavy mobile data consumption, with demand peaks around commuter hours and weekends in commercial districts.
• Capacity, not coverage, is the primary differentiator. Mid-band 5G and small-cell investments yield outsized benefits in Manassas compared with statewide needs.
• Prepaid/MVNO propositions, bilingual support, and international features resonate more in Manassas than in the Virginia average.
• Fixed–mobile substitution is meaningful: smartphone-only households and FWA (fixed wireless access) adoption will continue to run ahead of statewide rates given reliable 5G backhaul and pricing dynamics.

Manassas City, VA social media snapshot (2025)

How many people use social media

• Population base: ≈43,000 residents (U.S. Census, 2023 est.; Manassas is an independent city). Female ≈49%; Hispanic or Latino ≈42% of residents.
• Residents age 13+: ≈38,000
• Estimated social media users (any platform): ≈29,000 (≈77% of 13+, ≈68% of total population)

Age breakdown of social media users (share of users)

• 13–17: ≈11%
• 18–29: ≈25%
• 30–49: ≈36%
• 50–64: ≈17%
• 65+: ≈11%

Gender breakdown

• Overall users track the city’s population: ≈49% women, ≈51% men
• Platform skews (U.S. usage patterns applied locally): Pinterest and Snapchat skew female; Instagram and Facebook slightly female; TikTok modestly female; Reddit and X (Twitter) skew male; YouTube and LinkedIn roughly even

Most-used platforms (share of residents age 13+, with estimated user counts)

• YouTube: ≈83% (≈31.7k)
• Facebook: ≈64% (≈24.5k)
• Instagram: ≈45% (≈17.0k)
• TikTok: ≈38% (≈14.5k)
• Pinterest: ≈35% (≈13.4k)
• LinkedIn: ≈28% (≈10.7k)
• Snapchat: ≈26% (≈9.9k)
• WhatsApp: ≈22% (≈8.4k)
• Reddit: ≈19% (≈7.2k)
• X (Twitter): ≈19% (≈7.4k)

Behavioral trends to know

• Community-first behavior: Facebook Groups are the default hub for neighborhood news, schools, youth sports, city updates, public safety, and yard-sale/marketplace activity. Nextdoor is present for hyperlocal posts, while X is used for traffic, weather, and breaking alerts.
• Strong video consumption: YouTube dominates “how-to,” local food and attractions, and cord-cutting content; short-form video (Reels/TikTok) drives discovery for restaurants, events, and small businesses.
• Youth messaging: Teens and 20-somethings rely on Snapchat for daily messaging and TikTok for entertainment; posting frequencies are lower than viewing, but watch-time is high.
• Hispanic community dynamics: With ≈42% Hispanic or Latino residents, Spanish-language content performs well. WhatsApp and Facebook Groups are central for family, church, and small-business communication; Instagram Reels and TikTok are key for reach among younger bilingual users.
• Work and commuting profile: Many residents commute within NoVA/DC; LinkedIn is effective for recruiting and B2B, and YouTube/podcasts are consumed during commute windows.
• When people are active: Noticeable spikes during commute hours (≈6:30–8:30 a.m., 4–6 p.m.), with the highest engagement in the evening (≈8–10 p.m.); weekends skew toward late morning/early afternoon browsing.
• What converts: Local offers, limited-time promotions, and event reminders perform best on Facebook/Instagram; click-to-message (FB/IG) and WhatsApp are frequently preferred for inquiries and bookings; trust is higher for content shared by known local groups, schools, or influencers.

Notes on method

• Figures are city-specific estimates derived by applying 2023–2024 U.S. platform adoption by age (Pew Research Center) to Manassas’s population structure (U.S. Census/ACS). Percentages reflect share of residents age 13+; counts are rounded.